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11/24/2011

Happy "Gratitude" Day!

In October 2009, I attended a refresher daylong workshop called Awakening Joy taught by James Baraz at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. The last exercise of the day involved sitting across from someone we had never met and remain in eye contact for 5 minutes. Yep - awkward! A pretty, petite woman in her early thirties walked up and sat in a chair directly in front of me. Our noses were barely two feet distance apart from each other. The woman introduced herself as Rachel. During the first two minutes, I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable. Thoughts were swirling as I wondered what she was thinking about me. During the next three minutes, I shifted my focus to her and began to see her beauty. My heart softened and compassion arose as she became familiar. I realized she was just like me -- a human being trying to navigate through life...a seeker. I wanted to get to know her. What was her life experiences...her joys, struggles and beliefs? We both ended long term relationships just one month before the workshop. We exchanged email addresses and decided to made a commitment to the Awakening Joy practice. One of the 10 principles is practicing appreciation and gratitude. James Baraz suggested that we find a gratitude buddy and send a brief email daily for a month sharing what we are grateful for in our life. Rachel and I kept the gratitude practice going for 6 months. I can't tell you how much it helped us get through a transitional time in our life. Our appreciation for what we have instead of what don't have intensified when we wrote and read each others daily gratitude. We bonded very quickly and remain dear friends today. This greeting card from my Juniper Trail collection is inspired and dedicated to my gratitude buddy, Rachel. May you take a moment today and share 5 things you are grateful for to a loved one. Happy THANKSgiving!

I highly recommend the Awakening Joy 10 month online and on-site course beginning again in February 2012. http://www.awakeningjoy.info/

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - Melodie Beattie

You simply will not be the same person two months form now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. - Maya Angelou

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Happy "Gratitude" Day!

In October 2009, I attended a refresher daylong workshop called Awakening Joy taught by James Baraz at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. The last exercise of the day involved sitting across from someone we had never met and remain in eye contact for 5 minutes. Yep - awkward! A pretty, petite woman in her early thirties walked up and sat in a chair directly in front of me. Our noses were barely two feet distance apart from each other. The woman introduced herself as Rachel. During the first two minutes, I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable. Thoughts were swirling as I wondered what she was thinking about me. During the next three minutes, I shifted my focus to her and began to see her beauty. My heart softened and compassion arose as she became familiar. I realized she was just like me -- a human being trying to navigate through life...a seeker. I wanted to get to know her. What was her life experiences...her joys, struggles and beliefs? We both ended long term relationships just one month before the workshop. We exchanged email addresses and decided to made a commitment to the Awakening Joy practice. One of the 10 principles is practicing appreciation and gratitude. James Baraz suggested that we find a gratitude buddy and send a brief email daily for a month sharing what we are grateful for in our life. Rachel and I kept the gratitude practice going for 6 months. I can't tell you how much it helped us get through a transitional time in our life. Our appreciation for what we have instead of what don't have intensified when we wrote and read each others daily gratitude. We bonded very quickly and remain dear friends today. This greeting card from my Juniper Trail collection is inspired and dedicated to my gratitude buddy, Rachel. May you take a moment today and share 5 things you are grateful for to a loved one. Happy THANKSgiving!

I highly recommend the Awakening Joy 10 month online and on-site course beginning again in February 2012. http://www.awakeningjoy.info/

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - Melodie Beattie

You simply will not be the same person two months form now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. - Maya Angelou